The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) announced on Saturday its decision to abstain from the verification process of electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in the Kolathur Assembly constituency. This constituency was contested by party president M.K. Stalin. The party’s concerns center around allegations that there was a lack of proper protection for the voting machines.
According to senior advocate N.R. Elango, who represented Mr. Stalin during the verification, the party has already examined eight EVMs and discovered discrepancies in three of them. “Given that nearly 30% of the machines assessed showed irregularities, we conclude that the election was not conducted fairly. We believe we can prove this scientifically and legally, and we plan to approach either the Madras High Court or the Supreme Court,” he stated during a press briefing.
Discrepancies and Allegations
The DMK has formally submitted a letter containing 19 questions to the District Election Officer, seeking clarifications from officials, including those from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), who were overseeing the verification process.
Elango detailed further concerns regarding the EVMs used in Polling Station No. 157. He noted that the address tags on the machines appeared to be unused and new. He emphasized the irregularities in the setup, stating, “With 36 candidates in the Kolathur constituency, each polling station should have had one control unit and three ballot units, amounting to a total of seven address tags. The address tags we observed seemed new and lacked the necessary details.”
Concerns Over Seals and Security
Elango elaborated on the alleged discrepancies concerning the amber seals typically used to secure EVMs. He asserted that the verification machines only displayed the amber seal on the front side. While election officials attributed this to human error, the DMK does not find this explanation satisfactory. “The ballot units are not accessed during counting; only the control unit is. Therefore, it would have been opened and resealed during counting. Thus, there should have been two amber seals present,” he remarked, expressing suspicion over the lack of proper protection for the EVMs. He reiterated, “As a result, we will not be participating in the verification process.”
It is important to note that previous reports incorrectly stated that EVMs are manufactured by BHEL; they are actually produced by BEL.
This situation reflects ongoing tensions surrounding the verification and integrity of electronic voting processes in India, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in the electoral system.
